By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
As nation’s grapple with the challenge of the outbreak of coronavirus, the Biosecurity department of National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has met to adopt measures to safeguard the public.
Speaking during the meeting, DG/CEO, NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba urged the department to come up with public awareness mechanisms such as logo’s, pamphlets among others, containing information about the disease and what the citizens should do and who to contact in the case of suspected infection.
The DG said the essence of the meeting is to ensure that coronavirus and any other harmful Biological Agent does not take the country by surprise.
“We need to be adequately prepared and take proactive steps about these harmful biological agents and to ensure that they are properly contained so that they do not cause harm to humans and the environment,” the DG said.
“We need to be conscious of what is on ground and how to tackle it and to work with other sister agencies to ensure that this virus is well tackled. Biosecurity has now become part of the mandate of the agency and there is the need to develop this mandate.
“Biosecurity is a serious issue and we must prove our relevance in this sector. As an agency in charge of biosecurity we must rub minds on how best harmful biological Agents can be contained and eliminated”. He said.
The DG/CEO restated that Nigerians should take precautionary measures such as proper hand washing seeking adequate medical care in case of any flu or symptoms similar to flu and avoiding centers where the outbreak is prevalent.
“This coronavirus, can affect the lungs and symptoms include common colds and flu and can spread person to person by coughing and sneezing. Its symptoms include difficulty in breathing, fever and coughing and can lead to organ failure, pneumonia and death. The best way to combat it is to avoid close contact with people who might be sick or carrying it.
He disclosed that the federal government has adopted measures to ensure that the corona virus does not come into our borders and advised citizens to avoid countries already confirmed to have cases of coronavirus.
Ebegba restated the federal governments concern to ensure that harmful biological agents are properly contained and eliminated to avoid harmful effect to humans and the environment.
